Branchburg, N.J., quiet zone could go ahead

Township Committee has
tentatively offered to foot part of the cost of creating a quiet zone at the
Lehigh Road railway crossing in Branchburg, N.J., if homeowners put up $30,000
of the cost of equipment, local media report. The total cost of the improvements
needed to silence train horns as they cross Lehigh Road is $36,000, according
to Township Administrator Gregory Bonin.

Earlier this year,
township officials wrote a letter to the Federal Railroad Administration and
the New Jersey Department of Transportation, and informed the railroads of the
intent to establish a quiet zone at the crossing. According to Bonin, the
township's assistant administrator and purchasing agent met with these entities
to get quotes on the prices.

A quiet zone is a
crossing in which trains are under no obligation to sound their horns. Instead,
the railroad company installs extra safety improvements to mitigate any danger
caused by silencing the horns. These improvements are based on criteria such as
the frequency of cars passing over the tracks. In Branchburg's case, the
improvement needed is the power-out indicator that lets the train crew know if
the gates and bells at the crossing are not working.

Home Owners for Reducing
Noise (HORN), the group behind the quiet zone push, had previously offered to
pay for the indicator. Bonin reported at Monday's Township Committee meeting
that the price was $30,000. Other costs are for engineering and consulting,
road striping, signage and a temporary increased police presence to educate
drivers about the quiet zone.

Committeeman Thomas Young
said that if the residents pay that $30,000, the township should pick up the
rest of the cost.

HORN will be having
conversations with the township to decide how it wants to go from here.